Quick Facts
AquariusBiography
Niluka Karunaratne (Sinhala: නිලූක කරුණාරත්න; Tamil: நிலுக கருணாரத்ன) (born 13 February 1985) is a Sri Lankan Olympic athlete. A badminton player, he was selected to captain the Sri Lankan contingent to the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Karunaratne, born in the coastal area of Galle, received his primary and secondary education in Dharmasoka College, Ambalangoda and Royal College, Colombo, where he won the Royal Crown in 2001. He took up badminton at the age of 8, having been introduced to the sport by his father, who was a national level badminton player. He currently holds a position in the banking sector as a bank employee.
As of July 2012, he is ranked 48th in men's singles from the Badminton World Federation. In 2012, the Sri Lankan Daily News called him "Sri Lanka’s undisputed badminton champion".
At the 2014 Commonwealth Games, he was knocked out of the men's singles in the round of 16 by Srikanth Kidambi. He was also part of the Sri Lankan mixed badminton team, which was knocked out at the quarterfinal stage by England.
2012 Summer Olympics
On 30 July 2012 Karunaratne defeated world eighth-ranked Kenichi Tago of Japan 2–0. Karunaratne defeated Tago 21–18, 21–16 in 44 minutes at the Wembley Arena in the Olympic men's badminton singles Group C at the 2012 Summer Olympics. The Associated Press quoted him as saying: "This is the biggest win in the history of Sri Lanka badminton". India's Parupalli Kashyap sent him out of the Games, in a closely fought pre-quarter match.
Karunaratne signing autographs for fans
Karunaratne at the London 2012 Olympics
Achievements
BWF International Challenge/Series
Men's Singles
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Brazil International |  Ygor Coelho | 9-21, 21-14, 21-18 | 01 ! Winner |
| 2016 | Portugal International |  Gabriel Ulldahl | 21-17, 21-13 | 01 ! Winner |
| 2016 | Uganda International |  Pedro Martins | 21-17, 21-15 | 01 ! Winner |
| 2014 | Dutch International |  Rasmus Fladberg | Walkover | 02 ! Runner-up |
| 2012 | Bahrain International |  B. Sai Praneeth | 21-14, 14-21, 17-21 | 02 ! Runner-up |
| 2012 | Brazil International |  Kevin Cordon | 21-17, 20-22, 19-21 | 02 ! Runner-up |
| 2012 | Iran Fajr International | Sameer Verma | 21-18, 21-15 | 01 ! Winner |
| 2012 | Uganda International |  Wisnu Haryo Putro | 21-11, 21-18 | 01 ! Winner |
| 2011 | Welsh International |  Lok Chong Chieh | 21-16, 18-21, 21-19 | 01 ! Winner |
| 2011 | Miami International |  Rodrigo Pacheco | 21-12, 21-14 | 01 ! Winner |
| 2011 | Puerto Rico International |  Michael Lahnsteiner | 21-18, 21-15 | 01 ! Winner |
Men's Doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Uganda International |  Dinuka Karunaratna |  Ali Ahmed El Khateeb Abdelrahman Kashkal | 21-17, 21-17 | 01 ! Winner |
| 2010 | Maldives International | Dinuka Karunaratna |  Sulehri Kashif Ali Rizwan Azam | 21-18, 18-21, 15-21 | 02 ! Runner-up |